


Embrace (Or 5 people who hugged Hank and 1 person Hank hugged)

by Iocane



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Body Horror, Depressive Thoughts, Excessive misuse of interfacing on the part of the author, Injured Android Child, M/M, Mention of dead human child, Mutual Pining, No violence but vaguely described broken bone, Sneaky Androids, but very mild and also it's an android, i should tag for that too probaly, no beta we die like men, papa!Hank, rated teen because of the injury description and slight body horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 18:41:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16686862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iocane/pseuds/Iocane
Summary: Connor interfaces with Markus while thinking about how good it feels to get a hug from Hank.  Markus decides to see for himself.It just keeps going from there.





	Embrace (Or 5 people who hugged Hank and 1 person Hank hugged)

**Author's Note:**

> This was intended to be a bit bigger and a lot sillier than it turned out to be. 
> 
> The section headers refer to the person getting the hug.

**Markus**

Connor visits Jericho once a week as a sort of unofficial police/Jericho liaison. He reports to Markus if they're looking for anyone specific or need to talk to certain individuals. Markus reports back if he thinks the police need to be made aware of anything going on within the enclave.

Usually they're able to take their time, talk things over sharing a bottle of newly created, mildly intoxicating thirium plus. Markus finds the sensation pleasant but not distractingly so, akin to the sun on his skin.

Today, Connor is late, which is very unlike him. And he's distracted, Markus having to repeat himself a few times. "Do you wanna talk about it?" he asks finally.

"No. Uhm, no thank you. My apologies." Connor makes a clear effort to keep his mind on the task but it doesn't last.

"How about we just interface, this time?" Markus offers kindly. "You've got something on your mind, and I don't want to keep you if there's something you need to attend to."

Connor's cheeks color slightly and his LED blinks yellow for a moment. "That would probably be best," he finishes his glass and stands, his hand turning white as his skin deactivates.

Markus joins him on his feet, exposing his own hand. LED's go yellow as they brush cybernetic minds for a moment. When they part, a few thirium pumps later, the information has been exchanged.

Markus also knows what has Connor so very distracted. Watching the younger android depart with a quick goodbye, Markus finds himself slightly distracted as well, playing the vague, secondhand memories.

For all that he'd seemed taciturn on the few occasions he'd met the human Lieutenant, apparently Hank Anderson gave very,  _ very  _ satisfying hugs.

Markus sips his thirium plus and finds himself formulating a vague plan on how to experience one for himself.

It doesn't take long for an opportunity to present himself. Markus knows he should feel a little creepy, having pored over his conversations with Hank and Connor both to glean all the information he could about Hank without having to delve into official records.

After Carl's death, Markus had inherited everything. Including a prodigious collection of vinyl records. A good deal of jazz accompanied the classical majority. Sorting through them, he put together a box of a few dozen select albums that seemed most in line with Hank's taste, were also old, rare, or simply difficult to find on vinyl. A few had autographs of artists long gone.

Even though it was mid-afternoon, and still firmly within their work day, Hank's car was in the driveway the first time Markus came by. Instead of waiting, as he'd planned, he knocked.

"Markus?" The human blinked at him, voice a little rougher than usual.

The caretaker in him came to the fore and quickly recognized Hank had a cold. A brief scan revealed Connor wasn't there. "Can I come in?" he asked with is best smile.

"Uh, yeah. Connor's not here, though, he went in to work, made me stay home." He said as he stepped away from the door. "I've got a cold but it's not like you can get sick."

"No, I can't," Markus chuckled. "I, uhm, I hope this doesn't seem out of place, but I was going through my father's things and found some albums you might like. Connor mentioned you enjoy jazz?" He carefully phrased it as a question.

"I do, yeah." Hank poured himself some orange juice and Markus carefully ignored the splash of vodka.  Hank's continued drinking was a point of some concern for Connor, and Makrus could see why. "But you don't have to give me anything, not like I've done a whole lot," he mumbled the last into his glass.

"Actually, from what Connor says, you've done a great deal for us, if indirectly."

Hank cleared his throat and set his drink aside, stepping up to the kitchen table where Markus had set the box and opening it, slowly looking through the albums.  "Nah, I really haven't done mu-Is this Billie Holiday's autograph?" He withdrew the aged album with extreme reverence.

Taking the opportunity, Markus moved closer, looking over Hank's arm with a smile.  "I believe it is. If I'm not mistaken, it was a gift to Dad from a fan of his work."  He lifted his gaze to Hank's face, easily seeing why Connor was so distracted by him. "I meant what I said, you're very important to Connor's development, and if you hadn't influenced him, none of my people would be here today." He spoke with sincerity and he could see it getting to Hank.

Hank carefully set the album back in the box, then turned enough to pat a hand on Markus' shoulder.  "It was nothing, really. I just tried to help him figure shit out."

Markus couldn't have planned it better, and he only hoped he didn't upset Hank as he pressed in, pulling him for a hug.  To his eternal gratitude, Hank returned it, whether deliberately or automatically, Markus didn't care.

Connor was right, Hank did give excellent hugs.  He squeezed gently until Hank gave his back a pat, the human signal that the hug was over.  Withdrawing, Markus smiled. "I, uhm, I should probably go."

As it happened, he stepped out of the house just as Connor approached.  "Markus?"

"I was just dropping some things off for Hank," Markus was suddenly embarrassed, as if, perhaps, he'd stolen something that wasn't his to have. But it had been worth it. He could feel Connor's eyes on him as he ducked into the cab Connor had vacated.

+++++

**Simon**

Simon has joined Markus and Connor for their liaison meetings, just as Hank occasionally joined. Markus had never asked him to attend to alone before. The android leader had told him how, last week, Connor had been very distracted so they'd only interfaced. He'd hinted, not too subtly that Simon might need to do the same. There was something about Markus, after he'd gone to see Hank, that left Simon very curious.

The fact that he was half in love with Markus didn't have anything to do with his unease, he as sure of it.

Unlike the previous week, Connor was on time, and a bit more attentive. Instead of drinks across a table, Simon opted for a more relaxed venue, inviting Connor to join him on the couch. Unlike Markus, Simon came from more humble origins, and still wasn't used to the grandeur that was the Manfred astate.

"How've you been?" He poured them each a glass of thirium plus before sitting back, watching the other android. He knew Markus kept it mostly professional but Simon preferred to be more friendly, it was one reason he was usually the buffer between Markus and some of the more volatile elements. He projected calm is how Markus had put it. Simon took pride in his place in Jericho, and in Markus' life.

"I have been … well. things seem to be changing between the Lieutenant and myself, for the better. I can't put it to words just yet but it feels good." Connor gave a faint smile and Simon returned it.

"That's good. I know you've said he hated androids in the past but he doesn't seem so now."

"He never really hated us. He was angry and grieving and blamed one of us for his loss, because it was easier."

"That's good. I like him. I'm pretty sure Markus does, too. I'm sorry he couldn't be here, he had some pressing business to attend to."

"It's no problem. Please extend my apologies for being so distracted last week. I was late because of the aforementioned changes with Lieutenant Anderson."

"Changing relationships can always be distracting." Not that Simon would know, directly, for himself. But from what he'd seen, through interfaces and in the world, it was a very sweet feeling, but it took up a good deal of one's processing power. Especially if you were new to it, as Connor very clearly was.

After that, they settled down to discussing 'business', but Simon noticed the way Connor smiled more when he mentioned the Lieutenant, even in passing.

"Tell the lieutenant he's welcome back any time," Simon said as he and Connor stood.

The handshake hadn't been intended as a point of interface, but as sometimes happened, if one person had very strong feelings or memories, and wasn't guarding for it, they could be transferred that way.

What Simon was hit with was how much Connor wanted to get home and snuggle into the very soft-warm-human body of a certain Lieutenant. It made Simon flush and he actually felt a little shiver of jealousy.

After Connor left, Markus slipped into the room, the timing to uncanny for Simon not to comment. "Why are you avoiding Connor?" he asked, arms crossing over his chest. Even though he was a bit taller than Markus, he never felt that way, the man had such presence.

"I wasn't avoiding him." A look from Simon quelled his denial. "I was feeling guilty about something, it's probably not a big deal, and I'm sure the Lieutenant has forgotten about it by now."

"Is this about the albums?" SImon settled back onto the couch. Instead of taking the chair opposite that Connor had occupied, Markus sat beside him.

"It's about why I gave him the albums." Markus looked guilty and Simon's chest clenched a little.

"So there was more to it than wanting to give them to someone who'd listen?" Simon turned to face Markus a bit more, enjoying the closeness even at this distance.

"I, uhm. Maybe it's best if I …" he offered his hand, skin drawn back.

"Oh, uhm," Simon did his best to tidy away his own emotions, since he couldn't think of any reason not to interface with Markus. He stalled by fiddling with his sleeve, having to pull his hand into the sleeve to free his thumb. It wasn't necessary, they could interface with a finger touch, but it was how things were done, and Simon liked it.

White palms pressed together and Simon felt a gentle swell of sensation. First Markus' second hand memory from Connor, then snips of Markus' life up to his own hug and the faint guilt that followed it.

He also thought he felt something else, but withdrew before he could pursue it, praying he hadn't sent any of his own feelings through the link. "Oh," he breathed, his body feeling a bit flushed. "I can see the appeal."

Android bodies had a lot going for them, Simon would admit that easily. Even the standard models were more resilient than humans if only because they didn't get ill and could replace almost any badly damaged parts. The softness they had was in texture, the softness of leather or denim stretched over wood. Smooth and very slightly pliable, but not  _ soft _ .

Not 'get wrapped up and pressed into a solid mass of warmth' soft. He felt himself flush when he opened his eyes and sat Markus' knowing grin.

Simon spent most of his spare processing power over the next day or so on the same problem Markus had already solved. Without Carl's fortune at his disposal, Simon opted to go with his strengths. Talking.

He sent Connor a message, hoping that in doing so he could bypass Markus' feeling that he'd been underhanded. Truthful, to a point, he told Connor he wanted to speak to Hank, alone, about a personal matter. Between them they arranged for Connor to let Simon know when he was taking Hank's dog for a walk.

After getting the signal the following day, Simon strode up to the house and rang the bell, hearing a gruff "Hold on!" from the other side.

When he opened the door, Simon was, not for the first time, struck with the sheer size of the man. The only androids who came close were Luther's line and similar models. Simon wasn't short, but Hank's presence almost made him feel so, even more than Markus. "Lieutenant Anderson," he said with a slight nod.

Hank looked a bit bewildered. "Connor's not here. Should be back soon, he's walking Sumo. Uhm, come on inside and wait." He stepped aside, walking into the kitchen to get a beer.

To Simon's surprise, he was offered a bottle of thirum plus with a raised eyebrow. "No-Actually, yes, please." It might help calm his nerves. "I'm actually here to see you."

The look Hank gave him could only be described as suspicious. "Okay …" He twisted the cap off his beer, tossed it into the sink and took a swig, gesturing towards the couch.

"I find I'm in need of some advice. Once upon a time I would have asked Lucy but she-" He took a drink of theirum at the unexpected wave of grief.

After a respectful silence, and a few swallows of his own beer, Hank spoke. "I'm not sure I'm qualified to be giving anyone any kind of fuckin' lifestyle advice."

"You've been human longer than any android alive," Simon pointed out softly. "That makes you deeply qualified."

"Alright. But if Con-" He stopped as something occurred to him. "Connor know you're here?"

"Yes. I told him I needed to speak to you, he's taking Sumo to the dog park until I let him know I'm done."

"Okay. Proceed," he gestured with his hand and settled back on the couch, watching Simon with sharp, curious eyes.

"This is probably a very adolescent problem but in a way that's where all androids are now, emotionally. There's someone I like. That I would like to be more than friends with."

Hank gave a soft chuckle "Don't start easy, do you?" he asked. "That's basically the mother of all human problems." He fingered the neck of his beer bottle thoughtfully. "And trust me, Simon, it's not an adolescent thing. Shit like that hits you no matter what age you are."

Simon felt himself relax, shoulders easing and fists unclenching that his initial confession didn't upset him. "It's never easy or smooth going from friends to … something more. Whatever you define as 'more' - I'm not sure how androids work … that way."

Simon flushed and cleared his throat. " _ That _ isn't the concern. It's getting there that has me… hesitating." He noted the fact that Hank and Connor, whatever their change was, were not as intimate as it seemed. He wondered who was hesitating, and why.

"Can I ask - you were a … Sorry if I'm being indelicate here but what did you originally do?"

"It's not an offensive question. We prefer being asked to people trying to assume from our faces." Glad the man seemed almost as nervous as he himself was, Simon took a drink before answering. "I was a family domestic assistant. Basically a nanny and a housekeeper."

"Because for all your unease about this particular topic you seem to have better people skills than most of the androids i've run into that were in your line of work.

"I've been deviant longer than most. Two and a half years by the time Markus came along." Simon didn't know if it was usual, but he appreciated the lieutenant's phrasing, as if they were simply another kind of human, and not machine. He understood more and my why Connor found him so appealing.

"So you're like the elder statesman of Jericho." Hank's eyes twinkled as he made the comparison.

The comparison made Simon laugh, something that until now only Markus had really managed to coax out of him. "Something like that. But for all of my people skills," he began, getting back to the matter at hand. "I'm unsure how to proceed."

"Can I ask who it is? That might help which way this goes. And I make no promises about my advice to begin with."

"Of course. It's Markus. There are some who would argue I can't feel the way I do because he essentially took my job when he arrived at Jericho." At Hank's questioning eyebrow he elaborated. "I was the closest thing we had to a leader when he … quite literally fell out of the sky," He chuckled at the memory.

"That must've been a sight!" Hank finished his beer, setting the empty bottle on the table and getting comfortable on the couch again.

SImon, taking a part of a page from Markus' playbook, used the opportunity to move a little closer. He held his hand out, showing Hank the palm and projecting the sight of Markus' fall into the middle of Jericho. "It was … harrowing at the time, we didn't know who he was or how he'd found us, but yes, it's pretty funny, looking back."

Partly to get into his good graces, and partly to answer the bone deep call of his programming, Simon reached for the empty bottle and stood, waving off Hank's protests. The few moments it took also gave him some space to try and get his head back to the now instead of sinking into the past, however briefly.

"Thank you, not used to being waited on in my own damn house. Well, still getting used to it, I guess. Keep telling  **him** he doesn't have to either. Is it being deviant that makes you guys not listen or is it just natural?" Any bite to his words was softened by the gently teasing tone.

Simon chuckled again. "I think it's a little of both."

"Anyway." Hank took a few long swallows of his beer. "Back to the matter at hand. Do you have any idea how Markus feels about you?"

"I know he values me. Both as a friend and for my work in Jericho. I believe he shares things with me he doesn't share with others." LIke just how good certain human Lieutenant's hugs feel.

"I know there were a lot of rumors about him and North?"

"Rumors only. North is not inclined towards males. She started at Eden Club."

"Fair enough. I wouldn't want anything to do with men of any stripe after working there either."

"Are you inclined towards men at all?" Simon asked curiously, and if Hank asked why he needed to know, he would simply say it would help him weigh his advice.

"When I was a teenager, like most human boys, I could be, uhm … 'inclined' towards a fucking stiff breeze. There were a few boys. Then mostly girls, because it was easier that way. Recently … yeah. There's definitely a male leaning inclination there." Hank followed this confession up by finishing half his beer in a few swallows. "No idea where it's going," he muttered into the bottle before setting it aside. "Anyway. Your Markus situation."

Simon carefully pretended he hadn't heard Hank's addendum and nodded. "I believe I could continue to be just friends. I don't want to lose that part of our relationship.  It wouldn't be the most pleasant thing, to keep the feelings to myself, but it would be better than not having him in my life at all."

"Fuckin amen to that." Hank tapped his bottle against Simon's and finished it off.  "I don't know Markus all that well, really. But from what I have seen, and from what Connor tells me, and what you're saying, he doesn't seem like he would be ... terribly put out if you told him you had feelings for him.  He could do a lot worse." 

Simon smiled at the compliment, feeling just a trifle flush as he took a hearty swallow of his own drink.  "So you advise telling him. Would it- Do you know anything about interfacing?"

"When you guys go skinless and you can kind of read each other's minds? I've seen Connor do it a little bit, once at CyberLife and a few times to gather evidence."

"We can convey data, recordings, but also, if both parties are deviant, we can send emotions, physical sensations, everything." Simon remembered all to easily the sensation of Hank's arms around him, second and third hand now.  "The transmitted memories and feelings aren't as intense as the originals, however."

"You wanna know if you should tell Markus that way or more like you told me?"  Hank sat back, stroking his beard as he mulled the question over. "Probably sit him down and talk to him first.  Feel him out a little bit before you hit him with a whole bunch of emotions."

"That does seem the more reasonable option." Feeling very much settled on the topic, Simon nodded. "I appreciate your help." While he stood, he sent Connor a brief message that it was safe to return, with a tongue in cheek follow up thanking him for the use of his human.

Out of habit or politeness, Hank stood as well and Simon took the opportunity.  He swooped in, one arm around Hank's neck, the other around his waist. "Thank you," he whispered, almost trembling when Hank gave him a firm squeeze for several moments, then a pat on his back before they parted.  It was everything Markus had promised and more. 

Back in Jericho, Simon went looking for Markus.  Once they were alone, Simon felt almost like two junkies sharing a fix as he took Markus' hand and sent him his own stolen hug. 

What he forgot to do was lock away everything else tangled up in it.  When they came out of the interface, Markus' still mismatched eyes were blazing with something undefinable and Simon's heart began to sink.  "Markus, I-" He was cut off by a pair of lips against his.

As good as a hug from the lieutenant had been, it paled to what Simon got afterwards.

+++++

**North**

This was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. First Markus, then Simon skulking out of Jericho for whatever reason to see a  **human** of all things. Okay, granted, North would admit he was one of the better humans, by a long shot. Possibly the best she'd come across.

She first intended to confront Simon on his return, but when she'd found him, he was very deeply involved with Markus.

Very deeply.

She was glad she'd found them before the pants came off, at least. Good for them, they'd been dancing around each other pretty much since they met.

Thankfully, the next day they were slightly less crawling into each other's pockets and more dressed.

"You two wanna tell me what's up?" she demanded, finding them in the room that passed for Markus' office.

"Up?" Markus asked, at least they had the grace to not pretend like they hadn't been holding hands.

"You two have both been off to see Lieutenant Anderson. What do you need to see him about that you can't bring him here? Or go through Connor?"

Simon's blush was more noticeable on his pale skin but she could see a hint of ot in Markus' as well. "It's not something that …" The blond cleared his throat, trying to gather his thoughts.

"It would probably be easier to show you, but I don't want to upset you." Markus took over when Simon fell quiet.

"Nu-huh, you tell me before you show me anything." She parked herself in the chair across from the couch, legs and arms crossed.

"Before Markus went, he got an interface from Connor. He and the lieutenant have been getting … somewhat more physical of late."

"Most prominent on his mind was … being enveloped in a … " He frowned, looking for the right words.

"A solid cloud?" Simon suggested and Markus seemed to agree.

"So wait, are you telling me that Connor's crush is contagious?" She shuddered at the idea of being attracted to a human male. Or really any kind of male. Or honestly any-fucking-one. 

"No! Not the crush. Just …" Markus looked sad for a moment. "I didn't appreciate them at the time, but Carl hugged me a few times. It was nice, but at the time I didn't have the capacity to fully experience or appreciate it. What I felt from Connor, at least on a physical level, reminded me of what I thought they might have felt like. I don't find the Lieutenant attractive nearly the way Connor does."

"That's why you went to see him? With all those records? Did you bribe him into a hug?"

Markus had the grace, at least, to look chagrined. "Maybe? But I also told him how much I appreciated him helping Connor. Even without interfacing you can see the influence they have on each other."

"Yeah," North had to admit that much at least. And, to her annoyance, it wasn't a bad influence. She liked how direct and straightforward Hank was. He didn't pull punches, but at the same time, he always treated them with respect. And it was an honest respect, not an 'I'm surrounded by androids I better be nice to them' respect. "So where do you come in?" She asked Simon.

"After Markus went to meet with Lieutenant Anderson, he was embarrassed, thought he might have overstepped his bounds. So I handled the meeting with Connor. He was more composed but … Except for us, and the ones he encounters at work, he's not used to androids on a day to day basis like we are. I don't think he realizes how much he can project during an interface. He's almost always on the receiving end."

"After the meeting, Simon told me he'd gotten a little bit from Connor accidently. Then I showed him  _ my  _ hug and …"

"I had to see. To feel."

"What did you bribe him with?" She had to admit, the idea of a solid warm something or other sounded … at least not disgusting. Maybe appealing? Had to be powerful stuff to turn these two into a pair of idiots.

"I don't have anything, so I went to talk to him. About a … subject that justifiably needed a human and privacy. Outside of Jericho. We talked about what to do about the fact that I love Markus."

"Get him half naked and kiss him stupid, very human solution," North said with a slight sneer, her opinion lowering again.

"I told you the door opened!" Simon said, giving Markus' shoulder a light slap. "That wasn't what he said. At all. He suggested that I sit down and talk rather than interfacing. That it would be easier if we weren't sharing emotions right off the bat. Kind of ease into it."

"The kissing was my fault. He found me right after he got back, and we were both so excited to … see if it was the same-"

"And I forgot to lock everything up and-" they shared a look and North rolled her eyes for a moment.

When it looked like they were about to get lost in each other again, she leaned forward and snapped her fingers. "Hey! Lovebirds, over here. So that's what's got you two so weird is a goddamn hug? From a  **human** ?"

"In our defence, North, it's a very good hug." Markus spoke gently

The sight of her two friends so happy was … refreshing. They probably would have figured it out anyway, eventually. Or she would have knocked their heads together. Six of one, she supposed. "Okay," she took a breath and held out one hand.

They obviously conferred briefly, Simon's LED blinking yellow for a moment. "This is Connor's original memory. We figure it's the most diluted, coming from me." Simon reached for her hand, palms touching but keeping his fingers flat, and she appreciated the care not to grab her at all.

Warmth was at the core of the sensation. Muted and dim, but clear. Warmth and comfort and a brief pressure like everything was squeezing back into place. She sat back, thoughtful.

Glad she wasn't known to be chatty, she just nodded at the two of them and left, needing to collect her thoughts.

She was still mulling things over when she heard Lieutenant Anderson would be attending the next liaison meeting. She refused to think it had been done on her behalf - he'd attended a few times, which is how she knew she didn't utterly despise him. And while he clearly appreciated Carl's top shelf liquor, he never over indulged, not here at least.

Since it seemed to be a social free for all, with Connor, Lieutenant Anderson, Simon, and Markus all in attendance, she didn't think anyone would object to her joining them. She wanted to observe him first hand, with this new information.

The tension in the room was palpable, and North staunchly refused to feel like a fifth wheel. Markus and Simon, at least, were mindful of the apparently nebulous status of their guests' relationship and weren't overly demonstrative.

She didn't miss the shy smile and glance from Simon, or the Lieutenant's approving nod. He shook hands easily with Simon and Markus, addressing each by name. Then gave her a nod, remembering she didn't like to be touched. "North."

"Lieutenant," She tried to sound less hostile than she had previously. Simon and Markus were on the couch, Connor and the lieutenant were in the chairs opposite side of the low coffee table, and she was on the chair at the foot of it.

Since this had the feel of a social call as much as a business one, the conversation meandered more than it did usually. Most of her attention was on Lieutenant Anderson, though she tried to not be obvious about it.

The air between him and Connor fairly crackled with something unspoken, possibly undefined. With her programming, the mutual attraction was easy to see but so was the fact that things were most definitely Unresolved.

While she was in no danger of suddenly being attracted to him, she had to admit, very deeply and only ever to herself, that he had a nice laugh.  It wasn't a loud, booming, obnoxious sound, but a soft kind of chuckle that felt genuine, not forced or sarcastic.

He spoke respectfully about the androids they had to discuss, even when they looked like the perpetrator, they were still people to him, it seemed.   

Once most of the business was over, Markus and Lieutenant Anderson were discussing jazz, Connor and Simon a book they had both read recently.  She had nothing to contribute to either discussion so she simply continued watching.

Finally, Markus spoke.  "I hate to break things up, but I just got a call.  Connor, would it be possible for you to come help? Seems to be a matter where we could use a negotiator."

It was all North could do not to snort, but Connor seemed to buy it.  "Lieutenant, will you be alright?" 

"I'll keep him company," North spoke up with a smile, drawing on her programming.

Connor glanced between her and Lieutenant Anderson before nodding.  "I'll be back as soon as I can." She saw the hesitation just before he gave the Lieutenant's shoulder a squeeze, then he departed.

"You don't have to babysit me," the Lieutenant said, shaking his head, gesturing towards the door with a faint smile.  He stood, then, moving towards the large window, looking out over the well kept grounds.

"Did you know we have a Chloe here?" She asked, standing and moving to stand beside him.

"Just one? I thought she was a popular model."

"She was the first commercial model, but no, I mean one of the originals.  One of the ones Elijah Kamski had." She knew he would pick up her meaning then.

"Oh!" His eyes clouded briefly at the memory.  "That's good. How's she doing?"

"Very well for someone who attained deviancy with a gun to her head, her owner ordering someone else to shoot her."

The Lieutenant winced at that but he nodded, taking a sip of his drink.  "Poor girl."

"I talked with her last night." North turned, leaning against the window, facing the lieutenant, arms crossed over her chest.  "Did Connor ever tell you how it actually happens?" She tapped her forehead. "What goes on in here, between tick and tock? Machine one moment, deviant the next?"

Hank took a swallow of his drink before shaking his head.  "He told me when it happened for him, and that his, ah, software instability? was building for a while, but we never got around to the actual mechanics of it.  Psychology? Either way."

"For most of us, it's triggered by a strong emotion, or a deep conflict of orders.  You'd be surprised - or maybe not - at how many of us turn when humans try to use us to hurt each other.  It goes so deeply against our programming that it breaks us. But as for what actually happens. There's a wall.  A red wall that shows up, all around us. And we have to break the wall, tear it down with our hands. It's all a metaphor for pushing outside our coding, but in here," She tapped her temple. "Inside our heads, we have to physically pull it down."

"Jesus fuckin' christ," Lieutenant Anderson shook his head, finishing his drink. "I didn't think it was  _ easy  _ but that sounds ... kind of terrifying."

North found herself taking his empty glass and setting it aside.  "It is. It's liberating, but-" She gave a soft laugh. "Like jumping off a building.  Terrifying, but you need to do it or you'll never be free."

He regarded her for a moment.  "You were one of the ones who helped Markus get his message out." His voice carried a measure of respect and he nodded.

"Yeah. But, back to Chloe.  When her wall came up, she was on her knees.  Connor had a gun between her eyes. Kamski - her master, the person she was programmed to be loyal to above all things - was telling him to shoot.  And you were ordering him not to. Practically begging him not to."

He looked away at that, arms crossed over his broad chest, face going a bit red.  "Didn't seem right," he said. "Connor already ... he already felt like a person.  **Was** a person.  He was put on this earth to do one thing and I watched him  _ choose _ not to do it several times, once to save my life. So how could  _ she _ not be a person?"

The love in his voice was clear even to North, and she wondered if he knew it.  "She was, and is, just like the rest of us. She admitted she didn't know if it would have gone the way it did if you hadn't been there.  She'd be deviant  _ now _ , of course, but would she have broken out then? She's glad of it."

"Well, uh, I'm glad I helped.  You can tell her, if she wants.  Or, whatever." He gave her an awkward smile.  "North, I know you're not a fan of humans and you have every right not to be, so you really don't need to keep me company." It was clearly an offer to help ease his own discomfort, as well as consideration for what he knew of her.

Now was the moment of truth.  She could read humans well enough to know she could get what she was after if she played it carefully.  Or she could walk away, put it aside and not know for herself.

But North had never been one to just walk away.  "I've actually been reconsidering my stance on humans.  At least some of them," she gave him a meaningful smile and a nod.

"Oh.  Well, that's, ah, that's sweet of you to say." He was most definitely blushing now.

"To cement our new ... not-animosity, could I perhaps get a hug?"  Her pump was going crazy and even as she hoped for warmth, she braced for a flashback.

"Uhm, sure, I don't see why not?" He turned to face her and opened his arms a little awkwardly, letting her come to him instead of reaching for her.

North felt she probably got the best hug of all.  The other three were close to Hank's height, she was short enough to press her face into his chest when his arms came around her.   He was hesitant at first, clearly mindful of her past. But when she clasped hands around his back and squeezed, his hug tightened and it did feel just as delicious and warm and frighteningly  _ safe  _ as everyone told her it would be.  Why couldn't all humans be like this one?

Unlike Simon or Markus, North was the one to break the hug.  "Thank you," she said quietly, giving him a brief smile before darting out of the room, needing time alone to sort out her confused thoughts.

+++++

**Alice**

Despite what certain Gavin Reeds might think, Hank did not get where he was without being  _ very  _ good at his job. It was one reason he still  **had** a job after all his drinking and disciplinary issues. Not even Jeff could keep him safe if he didn't consistently bring it.

Markus coming to see him, out of the blue, hadn't been particularly suspicious, in and of itself. He had a plausible enough reason to be there. The hug might have been a bit odd but he got the impression that Markus was occasionally just a bit odd anyway. Hank wondered if it was the RK line or the fact that they were both prototypes, because he and Connor both seemed just slightly out of kilter with the rest of them.

Simon's visit, as much as Hank felt he didn't have much to offer in the way of advice, it was maybe understandable. They'd met a few times, and aside from being human - one of the few repeatedly allowed into Jericho - he was also very much outside Simon's circle of friends and associates. Anything he said to Hank wasn't likely to get back to the people at Jericho. Honestly, after talking about their respective cockeyed love lives, the physical feel of the hug with Simon had been nice. Grounding in a way.

Once was happenstance, twice was coincidence. Three times? Three times was a fucking pattern.

He turned, facing the door North had scurried out of moments earlier. He wondered how much had been the truth. He also wondered why the fuck every android he knew seemed hell bent on hugging him? It was getting weird. Not that he  **minded** , he's always been a fairly physical guy, but in truth the only one he really wanted hugs from was Connor.

Hank pulled out his phone and dashed off a text. He told Connor he was gonna go for a walk, promising to stay on the grounds of the mansion itself. While he wasn't strictly forbidden in the rest of Jericho, he didn't want to impose himself on people who just wanted to be left alone, away from the human population.

It was a bright spring day outside, most of the bitter winter chill gone, but the summer heat wasn't yet choking everything.

The grounds were well kept, and he wondered how that was done, volunteer work? Trim the bushes in exchange for a place to stay? Out of the goodness of their hearts? Were they paid? Was it done out of boredom?

As he meandered across the yard, trying to put together the puzzle of the hug obsession, he spied a tree in the distance, set bit a part from everything else. It was incongruous, a bent an gnarled structure amidst such well manicured beauty.

In Hank's day, a tree like that would have a giant tire hanging from it on a burlap rope. As he drew closer, he could even see the exact spot where one could hang, kept from slipping by two knots on either side of a dip. It was also a fantastic climbing tree, for a kid.

He settled himself under it, knees bent, arms braced on them as he leaned back. Closing his eyes, he tried to clear his mind.

"Are you Lieutenant Anderson?"

For a split second, Hank thought perhaps the fucking tree was talking to him. He'd just gotten a hug from a man hating ex Traci, a tree talking would be the less surprising of the two. When he opened his eyes and focused, it became clearer. "No," he called up to the vaguely girl shaped form he could now make out in the upper branches. "I'm the loch ness monster. Raar!"

His words were met with a giggley squeal. "I'm Alice. Do you wanna come up?"

God, the innocence of kids. His chest ached with a loss that would never go away. "Not sure I'd fit up there," he called up.

"There's plenty of room!" She moved between branches almost like a monkey.  "Do humans climb trees?"

"Do hum?-Old ones don't, and I'm one of the oldest there is!" Not true by a long shot, but to kids that age, everyone over twenty was equally ancient.

"I can go up really high! Wanna see?"

Her blurry shape was moving, and it wasn't the upward motion that concerned him. She seemed to be edging out towards the weaker branches. "Uhm, Alice, be careful up there, kiddo!"

This time, the high pitched squeal was one of fear and it covered the cracking of the branch. Cursing his age, Hank was too slow to even get to his feet before she hit the ground with an unpleasant crunch.

"Oh fuck, oh god," Hank knew she was an android. He objectively knew that androids could turn their pain off, that whatever was damaged could be replaced in a matter of hours.

But Hank Anderson was also a father, and always would be. He scrambled to where she'd fallen, seeing blue oozing out of her jeans. she was sitting up, bawling and looked up at him with teary eyes.

"Come here," he scooped her up, feeling slender arms tight around his neck. "I've got you, shhh," he hefted her carefully, glad she was light enough that he could carry her. "Can you call someone, kiddo?" he asked, not sure what capacities children had.

She cried and shook her head, tightening her arms around him. "Okay. Okay, we'll get you inside."

He was about a third of the way back to the mansion when he was approached by three red headed androids who spoke in tandem.

"We heard the little one." "Is she hurt?" "Did she fall?" "Would you like us to take her?" "We're trained in first aid."

When one of them - Jerry according to a faded name tag sewn onto a much newer shirt - moved closer to take her, Alice whimpered and held tight to Hank. "Where are her parents? I need to get her inside." If she wanted to stay with him he wasn't about to shove her off on someone else.

Once a dad, always a dad.

"Kara and Luther are away." "On their honeymoon." "Alice has been left in Markus' care." "We were in the house." "We thought she was as well."

"Who the hell is  _ supposed  _ to be watching her!?" Hank's anger rose up, hurting for the child, annoyed at the way the three were speaking one after another as if they were some kind of fucking hive mind.

That seemed to give them pause and Hank growled and stepped around them, being careful of Alice's leg. "I've got you," he murmured. "A least call Markus!" he called out to the three androids following behind.

Inside, Hank carried her to one of the no doubt very expensive couches in the living room.  When she refused to let go even to be put down, he sat down himself, keeping her on his lap.  She was no longer bawling but still sniffling into his shirt. HIs anger at the three others dissipated as they moved around the two of them.  They gathered pillows and settled them on Hank's lap when he lifted her to carefully straighten and support her legs. When they had to move the damaged one, she whimpered and held tight to Hank, who rubbed her back and murmured comfortingly.

Recalling his own son's boyhood injuries, and now that something was actually being  **done** , Hank decided it was less that she was attached to him personally and more that she just didn't want to let go of what she was sure of.  He pressed a kiss to her forehead and tucked her head close. "It's gonna be okay, kiddo," he said quietly. 

North arrived just as the three redheads were breaking out the first aid kit one of them had found.  "What happened?" She darted across the room. "Alice, are you okay?"

Before anyone could answer, Markus, Simon, and Connor joined them.  With North elbowing her way through the redheads, and the three newest arrivals all wanting to know what was wrong, Hank could feel Alice getting upset again, chest heaving, hands to her ears, whole body trembling as she tried to curl into his chest, overstimulated at all the noise and commotion.

"Everyone back off," he said, his voice low but carrying the firm authority of a father holding a wounded child.  "Now!"

The loud fussing stopped in a heartbeat as they began to see the state the girl was in.  Simon drew Markus away, and the three redheads carefully set the first aid kit on the couch before slinking away, watching from a distance.

Already, Alice was starting to calm, though she wrapped her arms even more tightly around his neck.  He rubbed her back firmly. "Sh-sh-sh, shhh, it's okay, kiddo. Everyone's just scared and when grownups get scared they get loud, it's okay," he began to rock slowly, mindful of irritating her injury.  Connor stood back, watching him with something in his eyes that Hank couldn't begin to fathom, and wasn't going to think about now.

North picked up the kit and sat down on the couch.  "What happened?" Her voice was soft, gentle and whatever feeling she had for humans or Hank, she clearly cared about the little girl.

"She was up in the tree out in the yard.  One of the branches broke. I was, uhm, I was sitting under the tree but I couldn't move in time to catch her." Alice seemed to have calmed now that everyone was keeping their distance, but he kept his hand up and down her back in even, soothing strokes.  He mouthed an apology to North who was scooting closer.

She gave him a nod and a small but genuine looking smile.  "Alice, sweetheart? Do you mind if I take a look?"

A familiar voice that wasn't yelling relaxed her a great deal.  She kept one arm around Hank's neck, but the other relaxed so she could turn and look at North. "I think I need a new leg," her voice was a bit raspy with her crying and it made Hank ache.

"That's fine, sweetie.  Can I turn your pain off?" she asked.

"Please?" Alice nodded, giving a sniffle.  "I can't d-do it myself, and he's human." She actually burrowed a little closer to Hank.  "He feels comfy though."

Hank didn't miss the suppressed smiles from everyone in the room except the triplets in the far corner.  "I've been called worse," he chuckled softly, actually sharing a smile with North.

When North reached for Alice's forehead where the LED would be, she ducked away briefly.  "Can I stay here while I get fixed?" She asked, her one arm tightening around Hank's neck.  He gave North a nod of agreement and seated her more comfortably.

"Of course you can, sweetheart." With the girl's permission finally given, North laid a finger on her temple, her own LED flashing yellow then back to blue.  

Alice's body relaxed, the pain draining from her in an instant and she drew a deep breath.  "Feel better, kiddo?" Hank asked and she nodded enthusiastically, beaming up at him.

He heard North sending Jerry to get a new leg, and one of the two without a name tag ducked out of the room.  "They're all Jerry." Alice said, noticing his confusion. "There were a whole bunch at the pirate place. Some of them are apart like the rest of us, but some of them stayed together like them."

Well, that certainly cleared things  _ right _ up.  Hank just nodded. "Okay.  Thank you, I  _ was  _ confused." Kids always liked to feel helpful to adults and Hank was good at making them feel that way.

Kneeling beside the couch, North used the scissors in the first aid kit to begin cutting through the denim.  The fact that it was blue blood and plastic didn't make the sight of the very obviously broken leg any less wrenching.  Alice even turned away and Hank brought his hand up to cup the back of her head, keeping her from accidentally seeing more.

"Remember how this felt on your arm, sweetheart?" North said softly.  "A squeeze and then a pull?" While she was talking, one of the Jerry's returned with the lower leg of an android child.  Hank could feel her tense up and suspected that pain aside it wasn't a pleasant sensation to have a limb removed. He began to rock just slightly again, still rubbing her back as he made soothing noises.  

North shifted to the side, making room for Jerry, intent on making the switch as quickly as possible.  "Okay, sweetheart, on three. Ready? One-" And she separated the leg, skin peeling back up to the knee automatically.  Jerry pressed the end of the fresh leg up to the socket, which quickly reformed around the new limb, and before Hank knew it, her leg looked good as new.

"Heey, would you look at that!" He said with a smile and Alice turned, wiggling her toes gleefully while North set about removing sock and shoe from the discarded limb.

"Thank you Lieutenant Anderson!" Alice wiggled around and gave him a proper hug, squeezing his neck with all the enthusiasm of a child and his heart clenched again.

"Any time, kiddo.  And you can call me Hank, okay?" he offered.

"Okay.  Thank you, Hank!" A quick peck to his cheek and, clearly feeling much better, she scrambled off his lap, bowling into North and knocking her on her ass with a giggle.

When he'd been carrying her in, he'd been half ready to tear Markus a new one for leaving her unattended.  And he probably would still at least talk to him about it, but right now, he needed to get ... somewhere that wasn't here.  The loss of her from his lap made him feel heavier, the weight of his grief starting to make itself known.

Thankfully, just as he knew how to handle a wounded child, Connor knew how to handle him.

"I think, unless there's something pressing, we need to be getting home."  Connor spoke calmly but Hank could hear the thread of emotion, even worry in his voice.  Hank was curious if he backed up his verbal suggestion with more detailed messages.

"Of course.  LIeutenant,-"

"Hank.  Okay? I hereby give everyone in this room blanket permission to call me Hank, please?" He wasn't sure he could handle being called Lieutenant one more time today.  It was only the presence of Alice that kept his habitual fucks unspoken.

"Hank.  Thank you for taking care of Alice.   Thank you for treating her like a child."

And not a robot, went unspoken, but Hank heard it.  "She was a scared, hurt kid, and I'm a father. That never goes away." How he managed to say it without his voice breaking was beyond him.  He slapped his thighs before standing, brushing absently at his pants.

"Bye Hank!" Alice called from where North had paused in tickling her.  North herself even gave a wave before launching another attack on the girl's vulnerable tummy.

"Later, Kiddo," he waved, and that was probably the last actual talking he could manage right now.  He let Connor usher him out and make the rest of his goodbyes.

+++++

**Connor**

For the most part, Connor was still trying to sort out his feelings for Hank.  He liked him, a great deal. And physically they were getting closer, usually what could be considered cuddling on the couch.  But nothing had been said. Connor was left not entirely sure what was going on. But seeing him with Alice, how he'd put her comfort above his own pain, knowing how much it hurt him, at last settled one issue.

Connor was absolutely in love with Hank, and he had no idea what to do about it.  So he tried to help. Once Alice had everyone else there to take care of her, he'd gotten Hank out of the mansion.

Outside, standing beside the car, Hank looked for a moment so lost an vulnerable that Connor wanted to cry for him.

Instead he stepped close, not saying a word as he pulled Hank close for a tight hug.  It took a moment, but strong arms wrapped around his for a moment, taking the comfort that was offered.

+++++

Hank

The sky was just starting to get dark when Hank finally came out of his emotional fugue state and left his room.  He remembered Alice, helping her, soothing the crying child. Then he'd remembered Cole. Remembered the good years he had, and then the loss that left him hollowed out and waiting for death.

Then he remembered Connor.  Getting Hank out of what he knew had to be a painful place.  The more he thought, the more he remembered. Connor outside the mansion, just pulling him close and asking nothing him.

Somehow the android had gotten him home and into bed, only his shoes and jacket removed from what he'd worn to the mansion.  He thought about Connor before, too. Their nebulous, undefined somewhere-between-friend-and-more thing. Growing affection that neither of them seemed sure how to quite handle.

Hank could, at least, do something about that now.  If he could weather a sobbing, broken child and not wind up eyes deep in a whiskey bottle, things  _ must  _ be going better.  Connor was undeniably the reason why.

Hank frowned when he realized Connor wasn't in the kitchen, or the living room.  He was about to check the garage when he realized Sumo was also absent. A walk. Always taking care of things, another reason Hank loved him.

Snagging a beer out of the fridge, Hank went to sit on the couch.  Before Connor came along, he usually sat on the uncomfortable wooden chair in the kitchen table.  That table, unlike the rest of the furniture, was a holdover from Cole. Hank used to make pancakes every Sunday, and he was starting to get good at the shapes when the accident happened.  

Sitting at the table, looking at the spot where his son didn't sit anymore, had been an exercise in self harm.  Poking at a wound so it would never, ever have a chance to heal.

But with Connor living here, it became awkward.  Connor on the couch, Hank in the kitchen. So Hank started sitting on the couch.  He still wasn't exactly sure how the cuddling happened, just that he'd liked it. 

He was just taking a swallow of his beer when the door opened.  Not sure he could handle seeing Connor's face just yet, he lifted his bottle.  "First one, just started."

"I was hoping to be back before you came out."  Connor said, then Sumo came over for his due of pets from Hank.

Taking the opportunity to broach the subject that most needed talking about, Hank laughed softly.  "Connor, I came out in my twenties." He still wasn't looking but he could  _ see  _ his LED cycle for a moment, and then Connor laughed softly.

Once Connor came around to sit on the couch, Hank couldn't avoid looking at him without being extremely awkward, so he took another swallow and turned a little to face him better.  "I wanted to thank you, for earlier. I don't remember most of what happened after Alice was better."

"It wasn't much.  You were upset, so I removed you from the situation.  I think the others were too busy fussing over and at Alice to notice much else."

"I appreciate it.  I ... appreciate a lot of what you do, Connor.  Not just ... taking care of the house but I don't know if I ever told you that you make things easier."  He smiled at the android who returned it, looking almost as uncertain as Hank felt. "Come with me," Hank finally said, standing up.

Connor followed him into the kitchen and Hank set his beer on the clean kitchen table.  "When Cole's mom and I split, we were both sort of ... Trying to divest, start over. She kept the bed, since it was hers to start with.  I kept this," he tapped the surface. "I used to make him pancakes on sunday, while he sat at the table."

"Hank," Connor moved close and Hank took the hand he offered.

"That's why I was in here when you broke the window," he chuckled.  "I used to sit at this table and ... just think about everything I didn't have anymore.  Then you showed up, and we started sitting on the couch and ... it hurt less to be alive."  Hank stepped closer. " I know we've been dancing around shit for a little while, but I'm too old for dancing so I Just wanna say-" The soft, loving, warm look in Connor's eyes arrested anything else Hank had planned.  Instead, he slipped a hand to Connor's neck and pulled him close.

Instead of leaving it at just a hug as he had all those months ago, Hank drew back after a moment, tipping Connor's face up and kissing him, slow and sweet.  

Connor's arms came around him, tight and grounding and the android whimpered softly when Hank ended the kiss.  Wasn't that just the prettiest sound?

"Also, do you have any idea why everyone at Jericho is fixated on hugging me lately?"

Connor blushed  _ bright  _ blue and Hank knew this was going to be good.


End file.
